This invention relates to fishing equipment, and more particularly, to fishing lures.
According to the American Sport Fishing Association, in 2000 there were over 30 million freshwater anglers in the United States that accounted for a significant portion of the $28 billion sportfishing industry. Anglers are constantly searching for technological advances and advantages to catch fish and to compete in catching fish against other anglers. Examples of such technological advances include scent-impregnated lures and high-tech fish finders, which tend to increase the effectiveness of the angler. Tournament fishing represents a considerable impetus for the sportfishing industry. In tournament fishing, the competitors desire to gain any advantage over other competitors to catch a greater number of and/or larger fish.
Though there are hundreds of lure manufacturers and thousands of freshwater sportfishing lures, there are only a handful of widely recognized categories of lures. Furthermore there are only a small number of dominant lure companies for each category. Saltwater fishing also has its particular lures that are configured to attract salt water fishes. The categories of lures include, but are not limited to, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, soft-plastic lures, jigs, topwaters, and spoons. Crankbaits are formed as a hard plastic diving lure. Spinnerbaits are lures that include spinning blade(s) to provide slight undulations of the lure that mimic a small fish swimming. Soft-plastics lures typically take the form of rubber worms, lizards, etc. Jigs take the form of heavy lures that extend vertically from the fishing line in the water. Topwaters are lures that float on the surface of the water. In general, most anglers have several lures from each of these categories in their tackle box, wherein each lure may be preferred for specific fishing situations or for a particular type of fish.
Though there are a large variety of lures, fishermen reel in the fishing line attached to the lures to retrieve these lures. As such, the lures travel across a strike zone in a single direction, i.e., toward the fisherman. It may be desirable to maintain the lures within a strike zone of the fish for longer period, thereby enhancing the possibility that the fish will strike. It may also be desired to position the lure in a location that is difficult to reach by reeling in the fishing line. For example, an underside of a log or the side of any object facing where the fisherman is located may provide fertile fishing grounds. However, allowing the fisherman only the ability to retract the line limits the ability of the fisherman to position the lure in these locations.
Therefore it may be desirable to provide a fishing lure that can be moved, or would move itself, in a direction substantially away from the fisherman. It would also be desirable to provide fishing lures that follow interesting movements for fish, or remain within the fish strike zone for an extended period compared to traditional fishing lures.
The present invention is directed to a fishing lure having a body section coupled to a fishing line that pulls the lure through water. An energy storage device is positioned in the body section and coupled to a propeller. The energy storage device stores potential energy as the lure is pulled through the water.
In a particular embodiment, the energy storage device is a spring, and the spring is connected to the propeller. In this embodiment, the propeller rotates in a first rotational direction and thereby winds the spring, as the lure is pulled by the fishing line in the forward direction through the water. When the tension on the fishing line is relaxed, the spring unwinds, thereby turning the propeller in a second rotational direction (opposite the first rotational direction.) As the spring unwinds, the potential energy stored in the spring is converted into kinetic energy that applies a force in the reverse direction to the lure.
In one embodiment, after the potential energy is stored in the energy storage device, the potential energy is later used to turn the propeller in a manner that propels the lure a reverse direction through the water. In an alternative embodiment, after the potential energy is stored in the energy storage device, the potential energy is used to turn the propeller in a manner that maintains the lure in a substantially stationary position in the water. In this alternative embodiment, the fishing lure remains in a substantially stationary position in the water by converting the potential energy into kinetic energy that supplies a force that balances an equal and opposite force supplied by the fishing line.
The spring may be housed in a gear box that includes a slip clutch that prevents the spring from winding beyond a threshold tension. The gear box includes a plurality of gears that achieve some turning ratio between the propeller and the spring. In one embodiment, this turning ratio is at least 30:1.
The gear box may be positioned in a corresponding opening in the body section, and the body section may include fins that prevent the lure from rotating about the turning axis of the propeller.
In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for fishing. The method includes (a) pulling a fishing lure through water in a forward direction, (b) storing potential energy in the lure during the pulling step, and (c) relaxing tension on the fishing line coupled to the lure. After the relaxing step, the potential energy stored in the lure is converted into kinetic energy that alters the movement of the lure in the water. The kinetic energy may propel the lure in a reverse direction in the water. Alternatively, the kinetic energy may supply a force that balances an equal and opposite force supplied by the fishing line.